Orders of High Wizardry
The Orders of High Wizardry was the result of hundreds of years of warring between the Academy of the Archmagi and the Cabal of the Dark Brotherhood. It was not this warring that caused the restructuring of the magical orders of Meaghana, but the fact that the introduction to Meaghana of untrained, unaffiliated wizards began to cause the loss of magical knowledge and endangered the forces of magic themselves. The retrieval of the Gem of Gorbas containing the essence of Evelyn, and the resulting battle for it, in 544 (AC), made the leaders of the old orders realize how much they had damaged the study of magic and how corrupt the current system had become. The heads of the two orders, Ursula Grenlar and Darkon Grell, called upon their powers to disassemble the Academy and the Cabal and reform them as the Orders of High Wizardry. The Three Orders The Orders of High Wizardry were three groups of Wizards, united not by their particular manner of studying magic, but by their ethical beliefs in its usage. These Orders were bound together by a sworn pledge known as the Oath of the Order. Each wizard seeking membership in any of the Orders had to swear to abide by the four rules that served as the basis for the organization. #All wizards are brothers and sisters in their order. #All orders are brothers and sisters in the power. #The places of High Wizardry are held in common among all orders and no magic is to be used there in anger against fellow Wizards. #The world beyond the walls of the towers may bring brother against sister and order against order, but such is the way of the universe. The Order of the Dawn The Order of the Dawn was comprised of those wizards that practice the arts of magic for the good and benefit of others. They only allowed those that have sworn themselves to the service of magic and goodness in the world to enter their number. To become one of the Order of the Dawn, the perspective mage must meet all of the requirements to be student wizards, in addition they must have passed the test of high wizardry, without having committed an act contrary to the laws of good. The sign of the Order of the Dawn was a white robe or a simple white trim on their robes. The Order of the Night The Order of Night was the mirror to the Order of the Dawn. They were wizards who did not limit their study of the Art with what they saw as meaningless moral limitations. They swore allegiance to magic and the power if brought them. To join the Order of Night, the perspective mage must meet all the requirements to be a student wizard and in addition they must have passed the test of high wizardry, without having allowed moral or ethical considerations to limit themselves in any way. The Sign of the Order of Night was black, either their robes or a simple trim on their Robes. The Order of Twilight The wizards of the Order of Twilight swore themselves to the balance of magic in the world. Upon seeing the destruction and folly of the old system, the Order of Twilight was created to assure that the balance between selfish aggrandizing and selfless sacrifice would be kept, and by doing so assure the continued existence of magic. To join the Order of Twilight, the perspective mage must meet all the requirements of being a student wizard, and also have completed the test of high Wizardry without betraying the ideals of neutrality. The sign of the Order of Twilight was silver, either in their robes or a simple trim on their robes. The Test of High Wizardry In an attempt to regain control of the study of Magic on Meaghana, the Orders of High Wizardry instituted a test to decide who was worthy to learn the power of Magic. The Test of High Wizardry was required for all those that sought to use magics beyond the level of simple initiates. Those that did not take the test were considered renegades and were be hunted by the orders and forced to join or put to death. The test was descended from the trials required by the Academy of the Arcane, and tests the Wizard’s aptitude, drive and moral strength. To fail was to die. The test was created individually for each applicant, and takes their personal strengths and weaknesses into account. While each test was different they all shared some common requirements: *The applicant was expected to cast every spell he knows. *One trial against a person the applicant considers an ally. *One trial against a foe more powerful than the applicant. *Three trials testing the applicant’s knowledge and application of magic *At least one trial that cannot be solved by magic alone. The Council of Magi The Council of Magi was the ruling body of the Orders. The council was made up of seven wizards of each Order and one Archmage of each order, one of whom serves as the Grand Magi, and heads the council. Each Order was allowed to pick its representatives as it saw fit. The Order of the Dawn chose their oldest wizards to serve on the council, the Order of Twilight held elections to determine their representative, and the Order of Night held mighty spell battles to determine who was fit to speak for them. The Grand Magi was chosen once the Archmages have been picked and it is done by way of a special magical ritual that read the minds of every wizard on Meaghana and determined who would best serve as the Grand Magi. The primary responsibility of the Council was the protection of the study of magic and the administration of the Test of High Wizardry. In addition to this they also maintained the process of spell naming, and kept watch for any wizards that went Renegade; that is denounced the Council and/or failed to follow their edicts. The original Archmages of the council were: Halas Brightpath for the Order of the Dawn, Ursula Grenlar for the Order of Twilight, and Darkon Grell for the Order of Night. Ursula served as the first Grand Magi. Each council member served until their death or they choose to retire. Towers of High Wizardry The Towers of High Wizardry were the places of power for the Orders, and places of solace for all wizards. They were heavily enchanted to protect them from non-mages. Each tower was headed by a master of the tower, who rules for life, and was responsible for the acts of wizards within their sphere of influence. The only exception to this was the Tower of Nelos, where the Grand Magi acted as the master of the tower. It was customary for Masters of each Tower to serve as members of the Council of Magi, but this was not required. Tower of Nelos: The tower of Nelos was the remains of the old Academy of the Arcane in the country of Asteria. This was the head of the Orders and the Council of Magi met here. The Tower itself was enchanted with a powerful confusion spell, anyone not specifically invited to the tower that comes within 200 yards of the tower simply wandered away confused. The Master of the Tower was Ursula Grenlar of the Order of Twilight, Enchanter. The tower was destroyed during the Asterian Civil War in 607 (AC). Tower of Hosiana: The tower in Hosiana was on the site of the original Academy when they were part of Fetesca. The tower here was slightly out of phase and to those that are not invited the tower seems to be nothing more than a beautiful garden. The tower came into phase for those that have been invited. The Master of the Tower was Balaam Kann of the Order of the Dawn, Abjurer. This tower was taken over by the War Wizards of Fetesca, and serves as their headquarters. Tower of Arakeen: The tower in the capital of Arakeen was once the Mage’s palace for the Cabal of the Dark Brotherhood. This tower is enchanted with a fear so great that not even the dragons will go near it. Anyone within 200 yards of the tower, fled screaming from it. The Master of the Tower was Darkon Grell of the Order of Night, Necromancer. The Tower was destroyed during the Aktannan Revival in 1070 (AC) Tower of Goshin: The tower of Goshin was in the Far East, in the country of Goshin, now known as the Gnome Protectorates, and was a great center for the Order of Twilight. The tower was enchanted with a wandering spell, any that seek to find the tower, who are uninvited, will be unable to find it as it moves constantly around the country. The Master of the Tower was Maizou Junpei of the Order of Twilight. The tower was last seen shortly before Benillin Nimblefingers claimed the land as the Gnome Protectorates, and it assumed to still be wandering somewhere in the country. Tower of Dust: The tower of dust was within the deserts to the south of the country of Kantrus. This tower was once the keep of an ancient Sorceress named Tara Stargazer. The tower was enchanted with a powerful teleport spell, teleporting those that are not invited to a random location in the desert. The Master of the Tower was Hombor Greybeard of the Order of Twilight. During the second Elfwar, Tara Stargazer returned and reclaimed her tower, destroying it for the magical energy that allowed her to claim the Soulwell of Magic. Tower of the Northlands: The Tower of the Northlands in within the country of Gwyneth. It is enchanted with an enfeeblement spell, and the closer an uninvited person gets to the tower the more their strength lessens, until they turn back or collapse under their own body weight. The Master of the Tower was Muriel Lugram, Order of the Dawn. The Robanan's have claimed the tower and still use it for the training of mages that join the Robanan Inquisition. End of the Orders The Orders of High Wizardry were decidedly shortlived. Their draconian tactics to control the study of magic drove more wizards away to embrace the renegade life than it brought in. After a time, the Orders were so outnumbered that they could not maintain control over the magical lore that they guarded. The Orders began splintering as the spread of unaffiliated Wizardly Kobars made them unneeded. It is widely believed that the formation of the Corwin Academy of the Arcane in Asteria (and its sister campus is Medina) spelled the final end of the Orders, as they were not influencial enough to prevent such open schools of magic from forming. Category:Magic Category:Organizations and Institutions